Eric Griffith2017 Holiday Shipping Deadlines You Need to KnowFrom retailers like Amazon and Walmart to delivery services like UPS and FedEx, here are the dates to know if you want your packages to arrive before Christmas Day.

Black Monday, Cyber Friday, Green Wednesday Evening—whatever, they're all done and gone and now it's time to PANIC. How long do you have to order things before it's too late for Christmas morning? Is it still possible to get free shipping? Are you totally screwed?

If you want your packages by Christmas Eve, you're quickly running out of time. Here are the days to keep in mind when ordering, for all the major players in online commerce. Not every site agrees on the deadline dates, so be sure to check carefully when you shop. And scroll down for the days you need to send packages via the major delivery companies like FedEx, UPS, and the US Postal Service (USPS).

For Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico deadlines, plan to ship earlier: December 7 for free shipping to HI and AK (PR is non-applicable); December 10 for Standard or Expedited Shipping to AK and PR, December 11 for same to HI, as well as Priority shipping to AK and PR; and finally December 15 for Priority to HI.Amazon Books locations, plus Whole Foods stores, will be open Christmas Eve.

2
Apple

If you buy direct from Apple.com, two-day shipping is always free on in-stock items, and it's one day for in-stock iPhones. Ordering a customized Mac computer (or customized anything) isn't included—it won't arrive on time for December 24. There is two-hour delivery in some select locations for $9.

For "effortless returns," you have until Jan. 8, 2018 to return any devices purchased between Nov. 15 and December 25, 2017.

December 20—Free, two-day shipping on in-stock Apple products

December 21—Free one-day shipping of in-stock iPhones or Next Day shipping on other products

3
Best Buy

Best Buy offers free shipping on everything, all season long (with caveats for special orders, in-store-only items, etc.) right up to December 25 itself. In-store pickup works, too, but remember that brick-and-mortar locations are all closed on Christmas Day itself.

As of this writing, Best Buy hasn't updated its shipping deadlines page for 2017, other than to indicate it's too late for timely shipping to Guam, the Virgin Islands, and APO/FPO addresses. But here are some safe bets when you're shopping online:

4
GameStop

The Holiday Hub at GameStop spells out when you need to order, with a countdown for how many days you have left. You get free shipping on orders over $35. In-store pickup means no extra shipping charge, but while GameStop is open on Christmas Eve, it won't be open on Christmas Day itself.

5
Newegg

The dates below require orders by noon local time. Newegg Premier members (it's $19.99 for three months, $29.99 for six months, or $49.99 for a year) get expedited, three-day shipping and free returns.

6
ToysRUs

Don't be afraid to buy from ToysRus or BabiesRUs just because it filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this year. It's business as usual for the retailer as it fights through financial woes. It's worked out for other companies, after all.

Free holiday economy shipping requires a minimum of $29 on qualifying items. Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other territories, and APO/FPO boxes costs between $7.99 to $39.99 depending on the location and timeframe you need.

7
Target

Target is offering free standard shipping (3-5 business days) on qualified orders, and even on returns, until December 23. That doesn't mean your order will show up by December 25, just that it's free until then if you use the REDcard. A minimum purchase of $25 is required. This is good for all 50 states (with a few restrictions), even APO mailboxes. Here are the dates to ship to guarantee you'll get it by Friday, December 22 (the last business day before Christmas):

December 13 by 12p.m.—Standard Shipping to Hawaii and Alaska

December 18—Standard Shipping

December 19 by Premium shipping (2 business days)12p.m.—

December 22 by 12p.m.—Express Shipping (1 business day)

Look for items marked "Holiday Shipping Delivery" and they're all specifically eligible to show up before the holiday.

8
Walmart

Walmart now offers free, two-day shipping on any order over $35 (it killed the old ShippingPass feature that was similar to Amazon Prime). Or pick up for free in the store anytime, plus free returns online or in-store. Some items have limited return windows, but for the holidays the return window extends to January 10, 2018 (for 15-day return items) or to January 25, 2018 (for 30-day return items) automatically.

9
FedEx

Look below and see the Christmas miracle that is FedEx actually doing same-day delivery on the big day itself, December 25. Of course, that'll cost you a massive amount of cash, so don't use it unless you must.

December 15—Ground

December 18—FedEx Home Delivery

December 19—Express Saver

December 20—FedEx 2-Day and 2-Day AM

December 21—FedEx Standard Overnight, Priority Overnight, and First Overnight

10
UPS

According to the Holiday Calendar at UPS.com, December 22 is the last day for "normal" pick-up and delivery from UPS before it goes into holiday mode. There's no action from UPS on December 24 or 25, except for Express Critical services. (It's also shut down on January 1—2, 2018.)

11
USPS

Check out the US Postal Service's shipping deadlines below, or get even more info on its site. That includes Alaska and Hawaii deadlines, like having to send first class to those states by December 20 and December 15, respectively. The dates below are for the contiguous 48 states.

12
Free Shipping

Don't forget that Friday December 15 is the tenth annual Free Shipping Day online, where about 823+ online retailers will be offering free shipping pretty much site wide, including Walmart and Toys R Us.

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Offers Shipping InfoGraphic

Check out this infographic from our sister site, Offers.com, which spells out exactly when the shipping companies need your packages for Christmas Day delivery. You should also check out the Offers.com list of retail stores offering in-store pickup for free, including Apple, Target, Best Buy, and many others.

About the Author

Eric narrowly averted a career in food service when he began in tech publishing at Ziff-Davis over 25 years ago. He was on the founding staff of Windows Sources, FamilyPC, and Access Internet Magazine (all defunct, and it's not his fault). He's the author of two novels, BETA TEST ("an unusually lighthearted apocalyptic tale"--Publishers' Weekly) an... See Full Bio

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